Wednesday, February 29, 2012

“Here is a secret, chosen soul,
which the most High God taught me and which I have not found in any book,
ancient or modern. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, I am confiding it to you, with
these conditions:

“That you share it only with
people who deserve to know it, that you use this secret to become holy and worthy
of heaven, and that you thank God every day of your life for the grace he has
given you in letting you into a secret that you do not deserve to know.”

From
the opening of The Secret of Mary, by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort

Monday, February 27, 2012

[The
Flood] prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt
from the body, but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During the season of Lent the
Church militant joins with those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil in
contemplating the mystery of the sacrament of baptism. Lent is a time for a
renewal of our baptismal vows and a rekindling of the grace that was given us
in the sacrament.

Thus, we must consider what it
is that happened in our own baptism. To this end, the Church gives us to read
from the First Letter of St. Peter, in which the waters of baptism are compared
to the waters of the flood. Further, the Vicar of Christ speaks of the bodily washing
effected through water, and the spiritual washing brought about through
baptism.

Friday, February 24, 2012

The
Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty
days, tempted by Satan.

We know that Jesus was truly
tempted in the desert, for such is the teaching of Sacred Scripture. And yet,
it should be clear that Our Savior could not – he simply could not – sin. The
Lord Jesus is impeccable, he cannot sin.

If the Church teaches that Jesus
could not possibly sin, in what sense can we affirm that he was tempted in the
desert?

Referring to the rare
circumstances which allow the preparation for the Total Consecration to begin
on Ash Wednesday, concluding on the Solemnity of the Annunciation (this year,
March 26th), the article states, “Christians can use this year's Lent
to also follow in the footsteps of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort. He was a French
priest known for his deep commitment to Mary, and came up with a series of
short prayers and spiritual practices to honor her called the Total
Consecration.”

Let us all offer a prayer of
gratitude to the Good Lord for spreading this devotion. Also, say a prayer for
Rene Lynch and for all who read her article, that the grace of Christ given
through Mary will indeed make this their best Lent ever.

Monday, February 20, 2012

The Total Consecration is
principally an interior devotion – it does not consist primarily in the
recitation of many prayers, but in offering all that we do to Jesus through his
Mother. Jesus has given us all things, including himself, through Mary; let us
then give to this same Jesus all things, including ourselves, through Mary!

However, St. Louis-Marie de
Montfort directs us to prepare for this act of Total Consecration with thirty-three
days of short prayers and spiritual practices. By a unique set of
circumstances, this preparation period begins this year on Ash Wednesday
(February 22nd) in order to make the consecration on the Solemnity
of the Annunciation (this year, March 26th) – for more about this
rare parallel between the beginning of Lent and the preparation for the Total
Consecration, see our earlier article [here].

In this article, we will
consider what exactly we do in these preparation days. What prayers do I say each
day, starting on Ash Wednesday, in order to unite this Lent with the Total
Consecration?

Also, consider joining with
others in the Total Consecration through Facebook [here].

The season of Lent is meant to
be a time of a great renewal in our baptismal vows. As the catechumens prepare
to enter fully into the Church at the Easter Vigil, all of Christ’s faithful
take this time as an opportunity to renew the grace of our own baptism.

Happily, this is precisely the
goal of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort’s “Total Consecration” to Jesus through
Mary. We have a unique opportunity this year to unite our Lenten devotion with
the Total Consecration, since (on account of the rarest of circumstances) the
thirty-three day preparation period for the consecration begins on February 22nd,
Ash Wednesday.

The Total Consecration has only
fit together with the beginning of Lent twelve times since de Montfort’s death,
and it will not happen again until 2075. Hence, this is truly a most rare
opportunity for us to consecrate this Lent to Jesus through Mary.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

St. Louis-Marie Grignion de
Montfort recommended a particular method of consecrating oneself wholly and
entirely to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and, through Mary, to Jesus our
Savior. This method includes thirty-three days of preparation, followed by the
act of consecration itself. St. Louis de Montfort most especially recommends
that this consecration be made on the feast of the Annunciation, though other
days are also acceptable.

This Lent provides us with a
most rare opportunity to consecrate ourselves to Mary according to de Montfort’s
method. Due to highly exceptional circumstances, one could begin the preparation
this year on Ash Wednesday (February 22) and complete the consecration on the
feast of the Annunciation (this year, March 26). What a wonderful way to make
this our best Lent ever! (to consider why Lent is a perfect time to make the total consecration, please see our short article [here])

Friday, February 17, 2012

“Which
is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise,
pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority
to forgive sins on earth” – he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick
up your mat, and go home.”

We have all heard that some
people have been physically healed through the reception of the sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick, but we wonder why this occurs only sometimes and not
always. Why is it that God heals one, but allows another to die? What makes Anointing here cause physical healing, but there only spiritual healing?

This Sunday’s Gospel gives us
the beginning of an explanation to this complex question.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Deacons can baptize and they
can witness marriages, they can even distribute communion as an ordinary
minister, and yet the Church does not allow deacons (nor any who are not
priests) to confer the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

A brief consideration of this question
– Why can’t a deacon confer Anointing of the Sick? – will teach us a great deal
about this sacrament.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Anointing of the Sick is surely
the most misunderstood sacrament in today’s Church. However, I do not think it
is so much that the faithful are too reserved in requesting it (as was the case
in ages past), but rather it seems that the sacrament is far too often used in
cases when it is not really appropriate. It is clear that the very close connection
between Anointing and death has largely been lost over the past fifty years.

The Ecumenical Council of Trent
declared that Anointing is the “sacrament of the dying”, and even Vatican II
says that Anointing can still be called “Extreme Unction” (though admitting
that “Anointing of the Sick” is better). Pope Paul VI specified that the “sick”
who are to be anointed are those who are seriously ill. The Church’s teaching from
Vatican II, to Pope Paul VI, to the Code of Canon Law specifies that Anointing
of the sick is only to be given to those who have begun to be “in danger of
death” whether from sickness or old age.

Friday, February 10, 2012

A
leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you
can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him,
and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”

Though not the first miracle of
his public ministry, Jesus’ healing of the leper is certainly the first miracle
he worked after relating the Sermon on the Mount (as is clear from St. Matthew
[8:1]). Thus, it is striking to note that, immediately after preaching the
great sermon which collects all of his message into one, he shows us the meaning
of this preaching by touching a leper with love.

This act – taking pity upon,
touching, and healing the leper – teaches us by example those same truths which
our Savior had taught by words in the Sermon on the Mount.

Thus, it will be no surprise
that the conversion of St. Francis of Assisi began with a leper. Further, we do
well to recall the memory of St. Damien of Molokai, who so loved lepers as to
become a leper himself – much as Christ loved us and became one like us in all
things but sin.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Many of the martyrs speak of
their desire for death with a greater zeal than we desire life – for they would
suffer untold torments in order to achieve their death, but far too often we
would rather die than suffer greatly in order to live.

And yet, without intending any
dishonor to the martyrs, we may wonder: How is martyrdom different from
suicide? Indeed, many of the ancient martyrs longed for death and even put
themselves in harm’s way in order to achieve martyrdom – is this not, in some
respect, similar to suicide?

The case of St. Apollonia
(whose memory is commemorated this day, though not in the general calendar)
will give great insight into this question – she voluntarily threw herself into
the fires which her persecutors had prepared for her.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

This coming Saturday, the feast
of Our Lady of Lourdes, is designated as the World Day of the Sick. In
preparation for this day, we will be considering several questions regarding
the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, or Extreme Unction.

Today, I wish to consider the
particular question of anointing a pregnant woman on behalf of her unborn child
who is in danger of death – there are several reasons why such an anointing would
be a sacrilege and invalid, though (of course) we would not assign any fault to the woman but rather to the priest. This particular case will teach us a great deal
about the sacrament.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Rising
very early before dawn, [Jesus] left and went off to a deserted place, where he
prayed.

After exorcising a demoniac, healing
St. Peter’s mother-in-law, and curing many others, Jesus teaches us the
absolute primacy of the interior life by rising early the next morning, before
it was day, so as to go to a deserted place and pray.

Fr. Conrelius a’ Lapide tells
us: “Learn here from Christ to give the early morning to prayer, and to rise up
with the dawn, so as to have leisure for meditation, and to give the
first-fruits of the day to God. For the dawn of day is a friend of the Muses,
but a greater friend of God and the angels.”

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Mary
and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is
written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be
consecrated to the Lord”. (Luke 2:22-23)

The Church teaches, as a matter
of dogma (de fide) which every
Catholic must believe, that Mary was a virgin not only before birth and after
birth, but also during birth. This dogma states that Mary, even during the very
act of giving birth, remained a virgin – hence, the word “virgin” refers not
merely to refraining from sexual pleasure, but also to physical integrity.

Mary, as ever-virgin, suffered
no harm to the physical closure of her virginal womb when she brought forth the
Savior. Rather, he came forth from her as he came forth from the sealed tomb
and as he entered the closed upper-room. The Church Fathers and Doctors (as
well as the great mystics) tell us that Our Lord passed through the virginal
cloister of Mary’s womb as thought proceeding from intellect and as light
passing through glass. [we have already discussed this in previous articles – here,
here,
and here
(in this last, we show that Jesus is still human even though he was born
miraculously)]

However, the above verse from St.
Luke’s Gospel seems to be against the Catholic dogma of Mary’s perpetual
(physical) virginity. It seems that the Evangelist is telling us that Jesus was
presented in the Temple precisely because he had opened the womb of his Mother,
violating her physical integrity. How can the Catholic answer this objection?